Writers and social media experts in Berkshire

West England Bylines is currently in the process of expanding to cover Berkshire. We are looking for volunteers who are interested in writing about what’s happening in and around the county, or looking at national and international stories from a Berkshire angle. Could that be you? If so, this is a chance to develop your writing skills, build up useful contacts and give something back to your community. No experience is needed.

We are also looking for social media experts to help us promote the work of our writers and increase our visibility, with the aim of attracting new readers and building stronger relationships with our existing readers.

We are particularly keen to receive applications from members of marginalised communities. If you have a disability, care commitments or anything else that you feel could make it difficult for you to volunteer at a practical level, please talk to us and we will work with you to try to find a solution.

You can read the latest from West England Bylines at https://westenglandbylines.co.uk

Most of the work we do can be carried out from home. If writers want to get out and about to pursue stories, they should discuss it with the editors-in-chief, who can provide support to cover reasonable expenses if agreed ahead of time.

About Bylines Network

We are a nonprofit publisher which runs ten news publications across different areas of the UK. These include West England Bylines, which is currently in the process of expanding to cover Berkshire.

As one of the leading entities in the cocreational media space, we work with citizen journalists to fill gaps in the news available to the public. This includes local stories not adequately delivered by our much diminished local press, and stories of national or international importance not being picked up elsewhere. We also have a big focus on raising the voices of people not adequately represented in media elsewhere, from those living in poverty or struggling with poor literacy to asylum seekers and members of other marginalised communities. We believe that democracy is stronger when everybody has a voice, and that communities are healthier when people have the chance to get to know how their neighbours see things and understand them better.

We are currently in our fifth year of operation. Our volunteers have the backing of a professional support team and we are IMPRESS-regulated. We are a Disability Confident Employer, a Visibly Better Employer and a signatory to the Refugees Welcome Pledge, the Ageing Better Pledge and the Menopause Pledge, as well as an official supporter of the White Ribbon campaign.

What skills do I need?

We need our social media experts to have a good, established knowledge and understanding of social media. This does not mean they need to be skilled in the use of every platform, but we would expect proficiency with a least two.

We do not require any special skills from our writers. We are happy to work with non-native English speakers, and even with people who are unable to write at all. We can bring in specialist support from the Network to assist in cases like this, where necessary.

What we do require from all our volunteers is enthusiasm, diligence and an openness to learning new things. We need them to be honest and we need them to be serious about their commitment to agreed deadlines.

When is this role available?

This is a flexible role available on various days/times.

Details

We work with each individual to determine a suitable schedule that will fit around existing commitments. Our only firm rule is that we will not accept more than two articles a week from anyone who is in full time education, because we want to support the development of our volunteers, not distract from it.

Where does this role take place?